Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) (2012) 101:339–349
DOI 10.1007/s00531-011-0658-y
ORIGINAL PAPER
Time calibration of sedimentary sections based on insolation
cycles using combined cross-correlation: dating the gone Badenian
stratotype (Middle Miocene, Paratethys, Vienna Basin, Austria)
as an example
Johann Hohenegger • Michael Wagreich
Received: 31 August 2010 / Accepted: 4 April 2011 / Published online: 19 April 2011
Ó Springer-Verlag 2011
Abstract Cross-correlation between insolation intensities
and a combination of sedimentary characters is introduced
to obtain precise time calibration of sedimentary cycles.
The first step is to transfer the section scale into ages using
power spectra comparing the main periods with orbital
cycles, while in the second step the standardized values of
sedimentary signals are cross-correlated with the standardized insolation curve. As an example for the applicability of the method, we investigated calcium carbonate,
organic carbon in a 9-m sampled section from the historical
Badenian stratotype at Baden/Sooss (Lower Austria).
Comparing courses of geochemical parameters between the
historical stratotype and a nearby drilled 102-m scientific
core resulted in continuation of the core section into the
stratotype. Cross-correlation between magnetic susceptibility (MS) combined with the negatively correlated calcium carbonate content of the drilled section on the one
side and summer solar insolation at 65° northern latitude on
the other resulted in an extremely significant correlation
between -14.221 and -13.982 Ma. This is younger than
the before estimated time frame (-14.379 to -14.142 Ma)
based on cross-correlation between MS and the orbital
100-kyr eccentricity and 41-kyr obliquity cycles. The direct
continuation of the drilled section by the stratotype covering a time span of 17.7 kyr consequently dates the
Badenian stratotype between -13.982 and -13.964 Ma.
J. Hohenegger (&)
Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna,
1090, Vienna, Austria
e-mail: [email protected]
M. Wagreich
Department of Geodynamics and Sedimentology,
Center for Earth Sciences, University of Vienna,
1090, Vienna, Austria
Therefore, the upper limit of the stratotype, assigned to the
Early Badenian, puts it close to the Langhian/Seravallian
boundary at -13.82 Ma, demonstrating the need for
revising the Badenian stratigraphic subdivision based on
orbital cycles, especially the middle Badenian Wielician
substage.
Keywords Cross-correlation Insolation Geochemical
parameters Badenian Miocene
Introduction
Absolute dating of deep-time stratigraphic intervals and
their representative sedimentary sections poses a major
problem. Achievements in timescales and improvements in
dating methods expand precise absolute age dating into
increasingly older stratigraphic horizons, based on more
and more precise absolute rock and mineral dating methods
and the application of orbital timescales. Especially for the
Neogene period, a continuously improving timescale is
available (Lourens et al. 2004) and orbital tuning of the
record of marginal seas like the Paratethyan is in progress
(e.g., Hohenegger et al. 2009a, b, c; Lirer et al. 2009;
Sprovieri et al. 2003).
This paper presents the unique case of age dating solely
by insolation intensities for a stratotype that is not accessible anymore at the moment. The Badenian stage comprises a regional Central Paratethyan stage which is of
early Middle Miocene Age and which was suggested to be
correlated, at least in parts, to the Langhian stage (Rögl
et al. 2002). However, a detailed correlation to the scale
ATNTS2004 (Lourens et al. 2004) is hindered by reduced
oceanic connections of the Paratethyan Sea, and several
solutions were suggested for this stratigraphic problem
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(e.g., Kocsis et al. 2009; Piller et al. 2007). Precise correlations are furthermore hindered by the fact that the
Badenian stratotype section, as defined by Papp and
Steininger (1978) in the Vienna Basin, is now covered and
inaccessible. By chemostratigraphic cycles recognized in a
sample set taken in the 1980s and in combination with
chemical and magnetostratigraphic data from a nearby
scientific borehole (Hohenegger et al. 2008), we are able to
precisely correlate the Badenian stratotype to the global
orbital timescale and thus to date the stratotype of the
Badenian for the first time precisely.
Geological setting and stratigraphy
The Badenian comprises a stage of the regional Paratethyan stratigraphical scheme (Cicha et al. 1975; Papp et al.
1968). Its history of definition dates back to the first half of
the Nineteenth Century (e.g., Keferstein 1828), and the
stage was and is used widely in the Central Paratethys.
Recent overviews and regional analysis of the Paratethys,
including the Badenian, are given by Harzhauser and Piller
(2007), Kováč et al. (2004), and Piller et al. (2007). The
Paratethys Sea was a remnant of the vanishing Tethys
during Cenozoic Africa/Eurasia collision and Alpine
mountain building (e.g., Popov et al. 2004). Due to its
separate biogeographic evolution, regional chronostratigraphic/geochronologic scales were established.
The Badenian stratotype section was defined by Papp
and Steininger (1978) in the old brick yard Baden/Sooss
near the town Baden (Lower Austria), south of Vienna. The
stratotype section is situated in the southern part of the
Vienna Basin, near its western margin (Fig. 1). The stratotype is now used as a waste dump and is totally covered
by waste material, except a very small and strongly
weathered 1.5-m ditch, and a small area preserved as a
natural monument (Rögl et al. 2008).
Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) (2012) 101:339–349
To investigate the stratigraphy in that area, a scientific
core was taken near the former outcrop which sampled a
100-m section structurally below the stratotype (geographic coordinates WGS84: E016°130 4400 , N47°590 2400 ).
This core section, which completely belongs to the (local)
Upper Lagenidae Zone, was investigated for stratigraphy,
paleoecology, paleoenvironments, and cyclicity (see
Hohenegger et al. 2008, 2009a, b, and references therein).
The lower, tectonically undisturbed section part of the
Baden/Sooss core was dated by orbital cycles (Hohenegger
et al. 2009a) using cross-correlation of cycles in magnetic
susceptibility (Selge 2005), calcium carbonate, and organic
carbon (Wagreich et al. 2008). The 44.9- and 22.5-m
periods resulting from the decomposition of the highly
correlated periodic functions in MS, CaCO3, and organic
carbon were equated with the 100-kyr eccentricity and the
41-kyr obliquity orbital cycles (Hohenegger et al. 2009a).
The highest correlation between the orbital cycles and the
corresponding largest sinusoidal waves of the section by
transferring periods from meters into kyrs was found in
the interval between -14.379 ± 0.001 and -14.258 ±
0.001 Ma. According to the resulting time interval of
121 kyr for this part of the section, the mean sedimentation rate was calculated as 512 mm kyr-1. Adding the
tectonically disturbed upper section, where calculations
were only based on MS, the complete core section was
dated from -14.379 to -14.142 Ma (Hohenegger et al.
2009a).
By combining those data with new data obtained from a
sample set taken at the Badenian stratotype in the 1990s
before the brick yard was used as a waste dump together
with additional detailed investigation of CaCO3 and
organic carbon in the tectonically disturbed upper section
of the drill, we are able to redefine the time calibration of
the complete section core and to correlate the historical
stratotype with the orbital timescale.
Time calibration method
Fig. 1 Overview map of the Alps and Carpathians with the Vienna
Basin and the Styrian Basin. Star indicates position of the Badenian
stratotype near Baden/Sooss in the southern Vienna Basin
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Magnetic susceptibility (MS) was measured in 5 cm distances along the cored section (1,797 measurements), while
CaCO3 and organic carbon measured in 20 cm distances
resulted in 475 measurements in each case. In samples
from the additional 9-m section of the historical stratotype,
only CaCO3 and organic carbon could be measured, where
sampling in 20 cm distances resulted in 43 measurements
for each component.
Smoothing of the strongly oscillating functions was
done by moving averages, where the interval lengths were
50 cm (11 measurements) in case of MS and 80 cm
(5 measurements) for both chemical variables (Fig. 2). For
the applicability of linear statistical methods, percentages
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341
Fig. 2 Courses of magnetic susceptibility, calcium carbonate, and
organic carbon measured in 20 cm distances along the drilled
section; thick black lines indicate smoothing using interval length of
5 measurements. The shaded areas demonstrate strong environmental changes according to foraminiferal and nannoplankton
composition
of calcium carbonate and organic carbon have been transformed into linear variables using the logit transformation
(Linde and Berchtold 1976).
Each of the three oscillating functions (MS, CaCO3, and
Corg) could be fitted by the sinusoidal regression
m X
Aj cos 2p x=Lj x0j
y¼Mþ
Results
j¼1
where M represents the mean level, A the amplitude, L the
period, and x0 the acrophase of the jth component
(Batschelet 1981). Period lengths L were obtained by
power spectra analyses (Hammer and Harper 2006), and
the remaining parameters were estimated by nonlinear
regression. The transfer of section meters into time was
done by regression between ages in kyr and the main
period lengths obtained by power spectra analyses
(Hohenegger et al. 2009a).
Cross-correlation (e.g., Davis 2002) was used to determine the best position of section parts along the timescale
and section meters, respectively. The lag distance in crosscorrelation was 20 cm in case of section meters and 1 kyr
using time. When several variables were cross-correlated
with solar insolation or orbital cycles, all variables had to
be standardized to prevent weighting by scale differences.
Time calibration of the section was checked by cross-correlation of oscillations in summer insolation intensity at
65° northern latitude (Laskar et al. 2004) with oscillations
in MS and CaCO3, whereby the latter got negative values
due to its negative correlation with MS (Table 1). Since
correlations between organic carbon on the one side and
MS and calcium carbonate on the other change in the upper
section from negative to positive correlations and vice
versa (Table 1), Corg was excluded from cross-correlation.
The tested time segment ranges from -14.500 to
-13.800 Ma, based on available biostratigraphic constraints (Hohenegger et al. 2008, 2009a).
Transformation of section meters into time
For transferring section meters into time, periods of
oscillating functions in MS, CaCO3, and organic carbon
were separately compared in the upper (7–38.8 m) and the
lower section part (40–102 m) using power spectra analysis
(Fig. 3). Afterward, the significant period lengths of the
stratotype were compared with periods of both section
parts.
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Table 1 Correlations between of magnetic susceptibility, calcium
carbonate, and organic carbon in both drill sections, based on the
one side on samples and on the other on time transformed (kyrs)
values
Lower section (40–102 m)
Upper section (7–40 m)
Samples in 20 cm distance
Samples in 20 cm distance
n = 310
MS
n = 165
MS
CaCO3
-0.636
CaCO3
-0.646
CaCO3
p(H0)
CaCO3
p(H0)
0.000
TOC
-0.321
0.440
TOC
0.605
-0.111
p(H0)
0.000
0.000
p(H0)
0.000
0.079
Samples in kyr distance
n = 124
MS
CaCO3
-0.630
0.000
Samples in kyr distance
CaCO3
n = 111
MS
CaCO3
-0.656
p(H0)
CaCO3
p(H0)
0.000
0.000
TOC
-0.307
0.447
TOC
0.610
-0.120
p(H0)
0.000
0.000
p(H0)
0.000
0.105
In the lower section part (40–102 m), the MS is highly
negatively correlated with CaCO3 and less, but still negatively correlated with organic carbon leading to a significant positive correlation between both geochemical
parameters (Table 1). Except the first period with a
significantly shorter value for organic carbon (35.3 m)
compared with the corresponding periods in MS (45.1 m)
and calcium carbonate (44.9 m), there is strong coincidence in the following three periods for all variables
(Fig. 3). When the averaged periods of 41.78, 21.87, 15.16,
and 11.09 m obtained by regression analyses are related to
the 100-kyr eccentricity, 41-kyr obliquity and both 23- and
19-kyr precession cycles (Hohenegger et al. 2009a), this
leads to a time range of 123.2 kyr for the 61.8-m-long
section inferring a sedimentation rate of 502 mm kyr-1.
In the tectonically disturbed upper section part
(7–38.8 m), the correlation between the three geophysical
and geochemical variables changes significantly. While the
negative correlation between MS and CaCO3 is still high
and of similar intensity as in the lower part, the correlation
between MS and organic carbon switches from a negative
correlation in the lower to a significant high positive correlation in the upper section part, while the correlation
between both geochemical variables becomes insignificant
(Table 1).
Periods between the three parameters do not correlate as
well as in the lower section (Fig. 3); nevertheless, the
period lengths of 29.50, 12.02, 8.18, and 5.84 m again can
be correlated with the above-mentioned orbital cycles (100,
41, 23, and 19 kyr), leading to an equalization of the 33-mlong upper section with a time range of 110.4 kyr. Since
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there are no differences in sediments between the upper
and the lower section part indicating no major differences
in sedimentation rate, approximately 45% of the sediment
is lost in the upper section due to post-depositional
tectonics (Hohenegger et al. 2009a). Because the fault
planes are randomly distributed along the upper section
(Wagreich et al. 2008) as tested by Poisson distribution, the
sedimentary gaps shorten the frequency curves more or less
constantly preventing stronger distortion. Significant gaps
due to tectonics according to abrupt environmental changes
as indicated by benthic foraminifera and calcareous
nannoplankton can be detected between section meters
14/15 and 21/22 (Ćorić and Hohenegger 2008). Additionally, the most significant gap between 34 and 41 m interrupting the continuous sedimentation is documented in
oscillations of MS and CaCO3, but extremely in the stepwise
abrupt change in percentages of organic carbon (Fig. 2).
In the stratotype section, a single significant period is
represented in the power spectra of both geochemical
variables with 8.40 m (CaCO3) and 9.60 m (organic
carbon) lengths (Fig. 3). Correlating the mean of 9.00 m
with the 19-kyr precession cycle, according to the relation
between the period length of 11.09 m with the 19-kyr
precession cycle in the undisturbed lower part of the drill
section, results in a time correspondence of 17.7 kyr for the
8.4-m-long section. Since the stratotype showed undisturbed sedimentation (Papp and Steininger 1978), a sedimentation rate of 475 mm kyr-1 can be calculated for this
part.
Dating the lower section part
This is the target section for basic dating because of the
undisturbed and continuous sedimentation with more or
less constant sedimentation rates. Calibrating the lower
section part by cross-correlation between insolation on the
one side and MS combined with the negative values for
CaCO3 on the other, 6 intervals within the time segment
from -14.500 to -13.830 Ma demonstrate significant
cross-correlations of 1% error probability (Fig. 4a).
According to the absence of the calcareous nannoplankton index fossil Helicosphaera waltrans with LCO
(Last Common Occurrence) at -14.357 Ma (Abdul Aziz
et al. 2008), the earliest significant interval from -14.460
to -14.336 Ma is improbable. The next two significant
intervals from -14.299 to -14.176 Ma and -14.258 to
-14.135 Ma are close to the 40Ar/39Ar dating as obtained
for the middle part of the Lower Lagenidae Zone in the
nearby Styrian Basin (Fig. 1) with -14.2 ± 0.1 Ma (Bojar
et al. 2004) and -14.206 ± 0.066 Ma (biotite) versus
-14.39 ± 0.12 Ma (sanidine) by Handler et al. (2006).
The latter dating seems to be the better estimate according
to the usage of sanidine and including reported time
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343
Fig. 3 Power spectra of magnetic susceptibility, calcium carbonate, and organic carbon in the three section parts (dotted line marks 1% error
probability)
underestimation by the 40Ar/39Ar method (Kuiper et al.
2008). The tuff layer, from which the radiometric ages originate, is overlain by 52 m of siliciclastic fine-grained sediments still belonging to the Lower Lagenidae Zone, which is
confirmed by the consistently abundant Helicosphaera
waltrans and the planktonic foraminifer Praeorbulina
glomerosa glomerosa (Hohenegger et al. 2009c).
The highest cross-correlation by far (r = 0.2806,
pt = 3.61E-06) marks the interval from -14.221 to 14.098 Ma (Fig. 4a). This correspondence is based on the
rather parallel courses of insolation and MS.
From the remaining two significant correlations
(Fig. 4a), the first ranging from -14.179 to -14.056 Ma is
less significant than the correlation of the interval before,
while the last and weak significant time interval from
-13.898 to -13.775 Ma seems to be too young when
adding the upper section part (110.4 kyr) and the overlying
stratotype (17.7 kyr). Assuming a continuous succession of
these three section parts without any break results in an
upper limit of the stratotype section at -13.657 Ma, which
is close to the NN5/NN6 boundary at -13.654 (Abels et al.
2005) falling at the end of the middle Badenian.
Therefore, the statistically best solution that is supported by
radiometric, litho-, and biostratigraphic data certifies the time
interval for the lower section core from -14.221 ? 0.004/
-0.005 Ma to -14.098 ? 0.004/-0.005 Ma.
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Fig. 4 a Lower part of drilled section; cross-correlation of MS and
negative CaCO3 with July insolation at 65° north. b Upper part of
drilled section; cross-correlation of MS and negative CaCO3 with July
insolation at 65° north; the time gaps to earlier time determinations of
the lower section are shown when using earlier significant intervals
for the upper section. c Stratotype section; cross-correlation of
negative CaCO3 and organic carbon with July insolation at 65° north;
the time gaps of later time determination to the upper section are
shown. Different shading intensities characterize 1% confidence
intervals
Dating the upper section part
in the studied interval would hint to a time gap of 97 kyr
(Fig. 4b).
This indicates that the best solution is from -14.091
? 0.002/-0.003 Ma to -13.982 ? 0.002/-0.003 Ma. The
proposed time gap of 7 kyr is visible in the cutted cores by
strong changes in the sediment type around 40.1 m
(Wagreich et al. 2008).
A strong discontinuity in MS, CaCO3, and Corg signals at
40-m section depth hints to a larger, tectonically caused
disturbance (Fig. 2). Due to the strong differences between
the uppermost lower section part and the lowermost upper
section part, especially in organic carbon content, an
overlap of both section parts must be excluded. After
stretching the MS and (negative) CaCO3 curves between 7
and 38.8 m, the resulting functions representing a time
span of 110 kyr were again cross-correlated with the
insolation curve starting in the uppermost part of the calibrated lower section at -14.180 Ma. Since the upper section is positioned above the lower section without
overlapping, cross-correlation starts at -14.098 Ma
(Fig. 4b). Due to the shorter time interval and tectonic
disturbance, the correlations between insolation and MS/
negative CaCO3 are not as good as for the lower section.
Nevertheless, the first significant interval ranges from
-14.091 to -13.982 Ma, resulting in a mean gap of 7 kyr
between both sections. The following 3 less significant
intervals would mark larger gaps of 28, 52, and 74 kyr
between both section parts, while the most significant peak
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Dating the stratotype section
After determining the time range of the cored section, the
position of the stratotype section sampled in 1990 had to be
checked along the timescale. Since no larger tectonic faults
could be detected indicating a vertical displacement of the
brickyard center, where the stratotype section was located
(Papp and Steininger 1978), the stratotype section has to be
correlated with the uppermost part of the cored section.
Proofing coincidence, overlapping, or separation of both
sections was done by cross-correlating the standardized
content in CaCO3 and organic carbon after logit transformation between both sections (Fig. 5a). The only significant correlation (r = 0.827, n = 38, t0 = 8.83,
p(t0) = 7.644E-11) between the stratotype and the upper
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Fig. 5 a Cross-correlation of
organic carbon and CaCO3
between the stratotype section
and the upper part of the drilled
section. b The courses of
CaCO3 and organic carbon of
the stratotype section and the
upper part of the drilled section
at the most significantly
overlapping interval between
-14.007 and -13.988 Ma
(see Fig. 5a)
section part covers the interval between -14.006 and
-13.988 Ma (Fig. 5a).
The main argument against this time calibration lies in
the different position of their function courses, which are
similar in both CaCO3 and organic carbon (Fig. 5b).
Similarities in the function forms were tested by linear
correlation resulting in significant coincidence in both
variables (Table 2), but the positions checked by paired
t tests show significant differences in both geochemical
characters (Table 2).
Consequently, the stratotype section was time calibrated
continuing the cross-correlation between insolation and the
measured physical and chemical variables. Organic carbon
was now used in combination with the (negative) calcium
carbonate content and compared with the insolation curve.
Cross-correlation of the stratotype section with insolation resulted in several highly significant peaks according
to the short period (Fig. 4c). Starting with the end of the
upper section part, this position shows the first significant
correlation (r = 0.496, n = 38, t0 = 3,430, p(t0) =
0.0008) covering the interval from -13.982 to -13.964
Ma. This hints to a continuation of upper section part by
the stratotype section without any gap (Fig. 4c), a geologically sound assumption.
The following three periods with similar significant
cross-correlation show large gaps of 24, 49, and 70 kyr
(Fig. 4c) that correspond to 11.4, 23.3, and 33.3 m
distances above the uppermost cored section using the
stratotype’s sedimentation rate of 475 mm kyr-1. Since the
second solution with the second smallest time gap requires
an unaccounted *13 m post-depositional down throw of
the brickyard center in relation to the margin, the first
solution of direct continuation must be accepted, which
then corresponds much better to the structural geometry of
the outcrop.
Therefore, the stratotype section of Baden/Sooss can
be calibrated between -13.982 ? 0.003/-0.002 Ma and
-13.964 ? 0.003/-0.002 Ma.
Discussion
The extremely significant cross-correlation between magnetic susceptibility combined with calcium carbonate on one
hand and the July insolation curve at 65°N (Laskar et al.
2004) on the other hand allows to fix the base of the section
cored near the Badenian stratotype at -14.221 ? 0.004/
-0.005 Ma, thus correcting the results obtained by Hohenegger et al. (2008, 2009a). Accepting the continuous transition from the upper drill section to the stratotype section,
which is statistically supported, the complete section
including the stratotype belonging to the regional Upper
Lagenidae Zone, regarded as younger Early Badenian,
finishes at -13.946 ? 0.003/-0.002 Ma (Fig. 6).
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Table 2 Testing the coincidence in calcium carbonate and organic
carbon of the upper section part between -14.007 and -13.988 Ma
(see Fig. 5) with the stratotype section by paired t test
Correlation of paired samples
n
Correlation
p(H0)
CaCO3
Upper section
19
0.810
0.000
Organic carbon
Stratotype
Upper section
19
0.814
0.000
df
T
p(H0)
Upper section
Stratotype
18
12.14
0.000
Upper section
18
7.87
0.000
Stratotype
Difference of paired samples
CaCO3
Organic carbon
Stratotype
Although the shapes of the curves are similar as tested by highly
significant correlation, the difference between the curves is also
highly significant
The proposed time calibration is also in accordance with
an 40Ar/39Ar dating of -14.39 ± 0.12 Ma for the middle
part of the Lower Lagenidae Zone (Handler et al. 2006),
overlain by 53-m siltstones still belonging to the Lower
Lagenidae Zone due to the presence of the nannoplankton
H. waltrans and Praeorbulina (Hohenegger et al. 2009c).
Some problems but also solutions for the zonation of the
Badenian arise by the proposed time calibration of the
stratotype (Fig. 7). First, the Lower Lagenidae Zone should
end with the LCO of H. waltrans, astronomically dated at
-14.357 ± 0.004 Ma (Abdul Aziz et al. 2008). The next
important biostratigraphic marker is the NN5/NN6
boundary dated by the LCO of Sphenolithus heteromorphus at -13.654 Ma (Abels et al. 2005), which was used as
the Langhian/Seravallian boundary until the GSSP of the
Seravallian was predated due to the strong d18O increase at
-13.82 Ma found in the ocean record (e.g., Holbourn et al.
2005; Shevenell et al. 2004; Abels et al. 2005).
The presence of S. heteromorphus in the Badenian
stratotype section (Rögl et al. 2008) and the lack of a
Fig. 6 Time calibrated courses of magnetic susceptibility, calcium carbonate, and organic carbon in the complete section compared with the July
insolation at 65° north; shaded areas mark the proposed time gaps between section parts
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Fig. 7 Stratigraphic chart based on the timescale of Lourens et al.
(2004) and Hohenegger et al. (2009a, b) showing the time span of
Badenian substages
significant shift to higher d18O values in the complete
section position the top of the Badenian stratotype section
earlier than the Langhian/Seravallian boundary at
-13.82 Ma, thus strengthening the time calibration of the
stratotype’s top at -13.946 ? 0.003/-0.002 Ma.
By this time calibration, further problems arise in timing
the boundaries between the Moravian (lower Badenian)
and the Wielician (middle Badenian) substages (Papp and
Steininger 1978; Piller et al. 2007). Taking the NN5/NN6
boundary at -13.654 Ma as the Wielician/Kosovian
(=upper Badenian) boundary (e.g., Kováč et al. 2007;
Strauss et al. 2006), then the Moravian/Wielician boundary
must be placed between the top of the stratotype belonging
to the Moravian at -13.946 Ma and the NN5/NN6
boundary. The most important global marker in this time
interval is the significant d18O increase at -13.82 Ma
marking the onset of the ‘icehouse’ phase during the
middle Miocene (Holbourn et al. 2007). This prominent
event is most probably expressed in the strong facies
change as indicated by the sudden dominance of agglutinated foraminifera in the ‘Spiroplectammina’ zone of the
Vienna Basin (e.g., Rögl et al. 2008). Additionally, the
GSSP of the Seravallian is positioned at this time point and
thus also could be correlated with the Parathetys and used
for the base of the Wielician (Piller et al. 2007).
Based on our results and accepting the NN5/NN6
boundary as the top of the Wielician, this substage must
now be placed within the time interval from -13.82 to
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-13.654 Ma, thus covering only 166 kyr. The correct
delimitation of the upper boundary and significance of such
a short duration substage has to be checked by further
analysis. In fact of such a short duration, a division of the
Badenian into a Lower and an Upper Badenian may be
preferable (see also Kováč et al. 2007), in contrast to the
original definitions used by Papp and Steininger (1978).
Given the thick piles of sediments attributed to the
middle Badenian (Wielician) elsewhere, especially thick
evaporite deposits east of the Vienna Basin (e.g., Babel
2005; Peryt 2006), and the sequence stratigraphic framework by Harzhauser and Piller (2007), Kováč et al. (2004,
2007) and Strauss et al. (2006), we see a major misfit to the
time frame with a strongly reduced duration of the middle
Badenian based on our results from the Badenian stratotype. We therefore suggest that time correlations and
chronostratigraphy within the Badenian are still biased.
The picture of a consistent Badenian stratigraphy (e.g.,
Piller et al. 2007), including correlation of regional and
local zones, sea-level evolution, and resulting sequence
stratigraphy frameworks, has still major pitfalls, i.e., the
middle Miocene ‘‘Wielician’’ salinity crisis in the Central
Paratethys (Peryt 2006) may still fall well into the defined
lower Badenian (i.e., Kováč et al. 2007). A concise chronostratigraphic system taking accurate and precise dating by
orbital cyclicity for the whole stage has to be elaborated,
which will then give undisputable correlations from the
Paratethys into the global chronostratigraphy of the Miocene.
Conclusions
By combining outcrop and core data, it was possible to
calibrate the Badenian stratotype by means of insolation
cycles correlation to an age from -13.982 ? 0.003/
-0.002 Ma to -13.964 ? 0.003/-0.002 Ma. This assigns
an unexpected young, late Langhian age to the Badenian
stratotype, although this interval is regarded still as lower
Badenian in the Central Paratethyan chronostratigraphic
framework. The age is high above the supposed base of the
Badenian and thus indicates a rather long early Badenian in
contrast to considerable shorter intervals of middle and late
Badenian. This deviation is caused, among others, by the
original definition of the early Badenian Lower Lagenidae
Zone in the Vienna Basin, where the real range was
underestimated compared with the extent of this zone in the
Styrian Basin. Especially, the middle Badenian Wiecilian
substage would then be reduced to a short interval. We
conclude that the chronostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of the Badenian thus are still largely unsettled, and
further time calibrations based on orbital cycles (like
insolation) are needed to establish a precise and accurate
time frame for the middle Miocene in the Paratethys.
123
348
Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Projects
P13743-BIO, P13740-GEO, and P16793-B06 of the Austrian Science
Fund (FWF). We thank Maksuda Khatun, Maria Meszar, and Silke
Wagner for providing carbonate and organic carbon measurements,
Anna Selge for making geomagnetic measurements, and Nils
Anderson for analyzing stable isotopes. We also thank Katalin Bàldi,
Stjepan Ćorić, Peter Pervesler, Fred Rögl, and Christian Rupp as
coworkers in these projects. Especially, Fred Rögl was helpful in
critically reading the manuscript and the reviewer Fabricio Lirer for
his useful comments and critics. Additional thanks are due to Karl
Rauscher and Herbert Summesberger for making available detailed
sample sets of the gone Badenian stratotype.
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